Chapter 1: Free Movement of Goods

Free movement of goods is one of the four fundamental freedoms of the European Union. The principle of the free movement of goods implies that products must circulate freely from one part of the Union to another.

In order to enable free movement of goods the acquis under this chapter provides for a harmonised regulatory framework, following the “old approach” (imposing precise product specifications) or the “new approach” (imposing general product requirements) in several sectors.

The harmonised European product legislation, which needs to be transposed, represents the largest part of the acquis. Moreover, sufficient administrative capacity is essential to notify restrictions on trade and to apply horizontal and procedural measures in areas such as standardisation, conformity assessment, accreditation, metrology and market surveillance.